favorite recipes from a Northwest kitchen

Kale Caesar Salad

In some circles the kale salad is probably passe already, but let’s just agree not to be so hip that we can’t enjoy a good thing, ok? I was briefly missing this summer’s Grilled Kale Salad with Ricotta and Plums, but it has already been replaced in my affections by this new winter favorite. It’s from the Skillet Cookbook, a new release from my local hipster diner, the Skillet Diner. I go to the diner just for this kale salad. I bought the cookbook just for this kale salad. I love this kale salad.The salad is bold in both flavor and texture. You’ll want to use lacinato (a.k.a. dinosaur) kale here, which is a little more delicate than a curly or Red Russian kale. The dressing is lemony and creamy, and I like a little bit of anchovy in there although you could do without (and then it’s vegan if made with an eggless mayonnaise and vegan Worcestershire sauce). The one part you absolutely can’t skip, however, is making the peppery homemade croutons.

Kale Caesar Salad (adapted from the Skillet Cookbook; original recipe here): Wash and dry a big bunch of lacinato kale, remove the stems, and slice it into ribbons. Make your croutons by chopping 4 slices of bread into 1″ cubes (I like challah or whole wheat croutons); toss with 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden. Set aside to cool.

In a big salad bowl, whisk together 1/4 c. mayonnaise, a small minced clove of garlic, the zest and juice of half a lemon, 1/4 tsp. dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of salt, a shower of black pepper, and 1/2 tsp anchovy paste (optional). Toss kale ribbons with dressing, then taste and adjust flavors with more salt, pepper, or lemon if needed. Add croutons and toss again. Optional: serve topped with grilled salmon or a poached or fried egg.

That looks excellent! What a way to wake up a Caesar Salad– which I normally never order, because I’m not into the lettuce… problem solved! I could totally see going to a specific restaurant just for this salad version, like you do. : )

Emmy, I’m not sure how I could have missed seeing that post, but that salad looks amazing! I love brussels sprouts but have never thought of shaving/chopping them up into a salad. That looks phenomenal.

Oh and I love (some) lettuce, too… just not the kind that usually finds its way into (restaurant) caesar salads!

I have been missing that grilled one with plums and ricotta too Emmy!!!! I attempted it with persimmons and that got me about nowhere. I’m thinking maybe satsumas would work? They just showed up at my farmer’s market, in their early-season slightly-sour version. Hm. I guess I can maybe try this one, instead. But I will be dreaming about plums and ricotta until next summer. :)

So this is funny, but I’ve never thought to ask the restaurant to add a poached egg to my salad–I just do it at home! You’re so smart. I’d be happy to loan you my copy of the cookbook–I like to share books. :) We could arrange a handoff over kale salad at Skillet!

Recipe Search

Follow Emmy Cooks via Email

Welcome to Emmy Cooks

Thanks for joining us! Pull up a chair, or balance your computer on the edge of the counter and pull out your pots and pans. Here you'll find recipes for mostly wholesome, mostly vegetarian, always delicious real food. If you like what you see, you can sign up below to receive a daily recipe from emmycooks.com via Facebook, RSS, Twitter, or email.